Whether the bottle in question is a village-level wine or a Grand Cru, Cyprien Arlaud is going to deliver an exceptionally clean, precise, and aromatically expressive rendition. We know this because we’ve offered a wide assortment of wines from Arlaud, and visited the estate besides; this family makes Pinot Noirs that glisten like polished gemstones. Under Cyprien’s direction, Domaine Arlaud’s 15 hectares of vineyards are farmed biodynamically (certified in 2014), with a meticulous care that is reflected in the finished wines: Red Burgundy doesn’t get more refined than this, especially in a beautiful vintage like 2019 and a storied Grand Cru such as “Clos de la Roche.” This wine is sumptuous and beguiling now but it is only offering a hint of what it promises to become in time. It’s tantalizingly obvious on the first sip that this is elite red Burgundy, which makes it even more difficult to be patient and stow it away for a good 5-7 years before revisiting it again. 

The Arlauds have just a single acre of vines in the Clos de la Roche, in a lieu-dit parcel within the Grand Cru called “Les Mochamps.” Clos de la Roche sits at the northern end of Morey-St-Denis, on the border with Gevrey-Chambertin, and its wines are often characterized as ‘Gevrey-like’ in character. That said, the Arlaud version has lots of Morey-Saint Denis suavity—luscious red cherry fruit, polished tannins, and highly floral aromatics that make you swoon. But it is still taut and youthful at this stage in its life, which, when you feel its structure, is destined to be a